Nurgle Zombies

Written by Surrealistik

My attempt at a Warhammer 40k themed zombie. These are presented as the progeny of a
supernatural Nurgle plague, though they may be obviously adapted as a GM wishes.

Mortis Plague

A vile, desiccating plague that corrupts the soul as it impels body and mind alike to rot and
decay, the Mortis Plague is one of Nurgle's proudest creations, proving almost invariably
terminal, with a mortality rate nearing 100%. Those that succumb to this supernatural affliction
are transmuted into wretched, mindless things bound in necrotic flesh, terrifying undead vectors
that seek only to accelerate the spread of their harrowing affliction.

Creatures infected with the plague must make a Very Hard (-30) Toughness test every hour
after initial exposure to the disease. Failure means their Toughness, Intelligence, Willpower and
Fellowship are all permanently reduced by 1d5 points, and they gain 1d5 points of Corruption.
When any of these attributes fall to 0 for the infected, or his Corruption ever exceeds 50, he
drops dead, and rises as a Nurgle Zombie 1d5 hours later. This transformation also occurs
should the infected victim die in a way that leaves its torso and brain intact and unpurged of this
disease. Revise the creature's base stats, pre-plague reductions, as per the table provided in
the Nurgle Zombie profile.

Note that exceptionally robust (and lucky) individuals may actually be able to shake off the
disease by succeeding at a number of these Toughness tests equal to 2 plus any damage taken
from the infection source, and all prior failed Toughness tests.

There is no known cure to this zombification process, and if one is found or devised, it is at the
GM's discretion whether it removes the Corruption inflicted, and restores lost attributes.

Nurgle Zombie

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The gruesome result of terminal exposure to the Mortis Plague, the Nurgle Zombie is the stuff
of nightmares; walking desiccated corpses wreathed in rotting skin that shamble, moan and
hunger for vital flesh. Inhumanely strong, tough, tenacious, and sensitive to the psychic
emanations of the living, Nurgle Zombies pursue their prey unceasingly, though they are
severely handicapped by a litany of weaknesses including clumsiness, slow, lurching movement
and a lack of even rudimentary intelligence. Those injured by a Zombie will find themselves
quickly ravaged by the same dread ailment that gave birth to their attacker, soon to join the
ranks of the undead.

Zombies employ relatively simplistic tactics, lurching towards, and sometimes charging their
targets, often attempting to grasp their would-be victims before delivering an infectious bite.

If left alive for long enough, Zombies will mutate into the vastly more deadly Nurgle Ghoul.

 Nurgle Zombie Attributes

WS BS

 25  0  X*  X*

*X is equal to the zombified creature's base attributes. Round fractional amounts up.

Movement Speed: Varies as per the zombified creature's modified base Agility.

Wounds: As per the zombified creature's base wounds.

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Skills: Zombies lose all skills they possessed in life, and gain Psyniscience +20.

Talents: Crushing Blow.

Traits: Carrier (Mortis Plague)†, Dark Hunger††, Dark Sight, Fear 1, From Beyond, 
Metamorphosis (Nurgle Ghoul), Natural Weapons (Bite), Feign Death†
†
†, Regeneration, Undead Properties
††
†
†
, Unnatural Strength (2x), Unnatural Toughness (2x)

New Traits:

†Carrier (Mortis Plague): Any living creature damaged by this creature's natural weapons,
and vulnerable to disease must immediately make a Very Hard (-30) Toughness test at an
additional -5 penalty for each point of damage inflicted beyond the first. Failure means the victim
is infected with Mortis Plague. Further, all natural weaponry this creature possesses gains the
Toxic trait.

††Dark Hunger: This creature feasts on living and dead flesh alike, restoring half the number
of Wounds (round up) worth of damage they inflict with a bite attack an hour later. If feasting on
a body, a number of Wounds equal to that corpse's size rating are restored to this creature an
hour later. 

†††Feign Death: After prolonged periods of fruitless wandering, taking significant damage
(10% chance per point of critical damage after being harmed), or after freshly becoming
undead, these creatures will occasionally drop to (or remain on) the ground inert, appearing as
a typical corpse, though remaining 'alive'. While in this dormant state, a Very Hard (-30)
Awareness or Hard (-20) Medicae test is required to determine that the creature is not dead
unless it somehow betrays its true nature (such as by grabbing the curious party). Scanners and

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diagnostic tools may be able to ease the difficulty of these tests. Very Easy (+30) Psyniscience
tests will reveal that the creature is utterly saturated with Warp Taint, but not that they are
necessarily 'alive'. Creatures that fall inert in this way as a result of damage remain so until
either healing all critical damage, or being attacked. Once the inert creature has healed all
critical damage, it has a 25% chance of reanimating every round thereafter.

††††Undead Properties: Being that they are also effectively the living dead, they are also
immune to Blinding, Corruption, Pain, Fatigue, Blood Loss, Starvation, Suffocation, Radiation,
poisons and diseases. These creatures will continue to fight and function regardless of damage
until their torso or brain are destroyed.

Metamorphosis (Nurgle Ghoul): Nurgle Zombies will 'evolve' into a Nurgle Ghoul 1d5 days
after their creation if their torso and brain are intact.

Weapons: As per the zombified creature's natural weapons. Humanoids without a bite attack
gain one with the following properties: (1d10 + 2 + SB R; Primitive, Tearing, Toxic). Non-natural
weapons cannot be used by the Nurgle Ghoul.

Armour: As per the zombified creature's possessions.

Gear: As per the zombified creature's possessions.

Threat Rating: Malleus Minoris

Nurgle Ghoul

The second stage of Mortis' victim's morphology, the Nurgle Ghoul is an evolution over its
predecessor Zombie form in nearly every way, gaining additional resilience, awareness and
keen senses, a rudimentary animal intelligence, as well as startling agility, speed and reflexes,

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its prior clumsiness all but eliminated, rendering it highly capable of tracking, chasing down, and
infecting new hosts.

This form is easily identifiable by the development of long, sharp claws at the end of its
appendages, each easily capable of slicing through most standard forms of armour, as well as
further necrotization of the skin. The decay has progressed such that a great deal of underlying
blood-soaked muscle tissue is revealed. This exposed muscle continues to harden, grow and
expand, especially with respect to the legs, which by now are freakishly overdeveloped.

The tactics of Nurgle Ghouls have progressed little, though they now prefer to charge and run
down their quarries as fast as possible in order to deliver a vicious flurry of attacks with their
diseased teeth and claws, sometimes leaping great distances in order to facilitate this process.
Furthermore, they are now capable of tracking hidden and escaped prey, often with great
success.

If left 'alive' for long enough, Ghouls will again mutate, transforming into the fearsome
Plaguespawn.

 Nurgle Ghoul Attributes

WS BS

 35  0  X*  X*

*X is equal to the zombified creature's base attributes. Round fractional amounts up.

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Movement Speed: As per the zombified creature's movement * 2.

Wounds: As per the zombified creature's base wounds * 1.5 (Round fractional amounts up).

Skills: Ghouls lose all skills they possessed in life, and gain the following: Awareness +10,
Dodge +20, Heightened Senses (Sight, Smell, Hearing), Jump +20, Psyniscience +20, Tracking
+10.

Talents: Ghouls lose all talents they possessed in life and gain the following: Berserk Charge,
Crushing Blow, Frenzy (activated as Free Action), Furious Assault, Hard Target,  Leap Up,
Lightning Attack, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Reaction, Sprint, Swift Attack, True Grit

Traits: Bestial Tracking†, Brutal Charge, Carrier (Mortis Plague), Dark Hunger, Dark Sight,
Fear 2, From Beyond, Metamorphosis (Nurgle Plaguespawn)††, Natural Armour 1 (All), Natural
Weapons (Bite, Claws), Feign Death, Regeneration, Undead Properties, Unnatural Strength
(2x), Unnatural Toughness (2x), Unnatural Agility (2x), Unnatural Speed

New Traits:

†Bestial Tracking: This creature uses its Perception attribute instead of its Intelligence for all
Tracking tests.

††Metamorphosis (Nurgle Plaguespawn): Nurgle Ghouls will 'evolve' into a Nurgle

Plaguespawn within 2d5 days after their creation if their torso and brain are intact.

Weapons: As per the zombified creature's natural weapons. The Nurgle Ghoul's bite attack is
upgraded to the following: (1d10 + 4 + SB R, Pen 2; Tearing, Toxic), while its claws now have
these stats: (1d5 + 4 + SB R, Pen 2; Tearing, Toxic each). Non-natural weapons cannot be
used by the Nurgle Ghoul.

Armour: As per the zombified creature's possessions.

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Gear: As per the zombified creature's possessions.

Threat Rating: Malleus Majoris.

Nurgle Plaguespawn

The final stage of the Mortis impelled mutations, the hapless victim is transmuted into a hulking
wretch, countless disease secreting pustules adorning its now fully exposed and overgrown
musculature, with two sets of huge, mono-sharp claws protruding from four immensely powerful
arms, the latter pair resembling two giant scything blades slick and dripping with lethal biotoxins.

Stronger, faster, more agile, deadly and cunning than the Ghoul iteration of the disease, the
Plaguespawn delights in hunting down new converts for their dark patron, employing stealth and
its impressive ability to scale sheer surfaces and ceilings almost as effectively as its brute
strength and speed. It also has gained a degree of ranged capability, by means of a specialized
organ which enables it to spew a weaponized acidic variant of their deadly contagion. Its
intelligence has also increased such that it is capable of using basic melee weapons, though its
preference for natural weaponry is readily evident.

Lastly, while Plaguespawn are more than capable of bipedal movement, they often prefer to
travel on four appendages, as this allows them to optimize the speed of their approach.

 Nurgle Plaguespawn Attributes

WS BS

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 45  35  X*  X*

*X is equal to the zombified creature's base attributes. Round fractional amounts up.
**X / 2 or 15, whichever is greater.

Movement Speed: As per the zombified creature's movement plus all applicable bonuses.

Wounds: As per the zombified creature's base wounds * 2.

Skills: Plaguespawn lose all skills they possessed in life, and gain the following: Heightened
Senses (Sight, Smell, Hearing), Awareness +20, Climb +20, Dodge +20, Jump +20, Move
Silently +10, Concealment +10, Shadowing +10, Psyniscience +20, Tracking +20.

Talents: Plaguespawn lose all talents they possessed in life and gain the following: Berserk
Charge, Crushing Blow, Disarm, Frenzy (activated as Free Action), Furious Assault, Hard
Target,  Leap Up, Lightning Attack, Lightning Reflexes, Rapid Reaction, Sprint, Swift Attack,
True Grit

Traits: Bestial Tracking, Brutal Charge, Carrier (Mortis Plague), Dark Hunger, Dark Sight, Fear
3, From Beyond, Multiple Arms, Natural Armour 2 (All), Natural Weapons (Bite, Claws, Viral
Spray), Feign Death, Regeneration, Size (Hulking), Sturdy, Undead Properties, Unnatural
Strength (3x), Unnatural Toughness (3x), Unnatural Agility (2x), Unnatural Speed, Quadraped,
Viral Secretion (Mortis Plague)†

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†Viral Secretion (Mortis Plague): Plaguespawn constantly secrete a slick, slimy pus-like
ooze that coats the entirety of their bodies. This has the effect of making them more difficult to
grapple, increasing the difficulty of all grapple tests made against them by two steps.

They are further able to spew a pressurized stream of this putrid viral soup up to 15 meters
away as a Half Action from its mouth or one of its many pulsating orifices, testing Ballistic Skill
to hit. This is a special, weaponized version, easily capable of eating through armour by means
of strong organic enzymes and acids. These permanently reduce the protective value of areas
of stricken armour by 1 each Round for 1d5 Rounds. Should a section of armour be reduced to
0 in this way, it is destroyed, and any remaining armour degradation that was to occur instead
counts as an exposure to the secretion.

Secondly, any type of critical damage other than Energy dealt to a Plaguespawn will provoke
a gush of the substance that travels 1d10 meters in a random direction (roll a d10 to determine
which). Upon dying to a non-Energy source of damage, this creature will violently explode in a
riot of vile ichor and contagion, splattering on everyone within a radius of 3 meters. A Hard (-20)
Agility or Dodge test may be attempted to evade both types of emissions.

Lastly, if this substance is smeared or otherwise deposited on a surface, the secretion

remains dangerous for up to 24 hours unless sterilized prematurely. Exposure to this hazardous
brew results in 1d10 Toughness damage, 1d5 Corruption and infection with Mortis on a failed
Very Hard (-30) Toughness test.

Weapons: As per the zombified creature's natural weapons, plus Viral Spray. The Nurgle
Plaguespawn's bite attack is upgraded to the following: (2d10 + 2 + SB R, Pen 2; Tearing,
Toxic), while its four claws now have these stats: (2d5 + 2 + SB R, Pen 2; Tearing, Toxic each).
The two scythe-like claws each have a range of 3 meters. The only non-natural weapons Nurgle
Plaguespawn may use are Melee (Primitive) weapons.

Armour: As per the zombified creature's possessions.

Gear: As per the zombified creature's possessions.

Threat Rating: Malleus Extremis.

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